Ijoid languages explained

Ijoid
Region:	Southern Nigeria
Familycolor:	Niger-Congo
Child1:	Ijaw
Glotto:	ijoi1239
Glottorefname:	Ijoid
Family:	Niger–Congo?

Ijoid is a proposed but undemonstrated group of languages linking the Ijaw languages (Ịjọ) with the endangered Defaka language. The similarities, however, may be due to Ijaw influence on Defaka.^[1]

The Ijoid languages, or perhaps just Ijaw, are proposed to form a divergent branch of the hypothetical Niger–Congo family and are noted for their subject–object–verb basic word order, which is otherwise an unusual feature in Niger–Congo, shared only by such distant branches as Mande and Dogon. Like Mande and Dogon, Ijoid lacks even traces of the noun class system considered characteristic of Niger–Congo, and so might have split early from that family. Linguists Gerrit Dimmendaal and Tom Güldemann doubt its inclusion in Niger–Congo altogether and consider the Ijaw/Ijoid languages to be an independent family.^{[2] [3]}

Comparative vocabulary

Sample basic vocabulary for Proto-Ijaw, Kalabari, and Defaka:

Language	eye	ear	nose	tooth	tongue	mouth	blood	bone	tree	water	eat	name
Proto-Ijaw^[4]	tɔrɪ³	ɓeri¹	nḭnḭ³	aka²	ɪ̰ɓɛ̰lɛʊ²	ɓɪpɪ²	asɪ̰ɪ̰¹	ṵgbəu²	tɛ̰ɪ̰²	ɓed̰i¹	fɪɪ²	ɪrɛ²
Kalabari^[5]	tɔ́rʊ̄	ɓeri	nínī	áká	ɓɛ́lɛ́	ɓɪ́ɓɪ́	ímgbe	ɔmbɪ-yé, pulo	sɪ́n	minji	fɪ́	ɛ́rɛ́
	ɔ́yɔ	ɓasi	níni	nɪan	mɛndʊɔ	ɓɪ́ɪ́	ḿbua	asi	ibo tiin	mbɪ́á	éé	ɪ́tá

Numerals

Comparison of numerals in individual languages:^[6]

Classification	Language	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Defaka		ɡbérí	mààmà	táátó	nɛ́ì	túúnɔ̀	màànɡò	túààmà (5 + 2?)	túàtùà (5 + 3?)	túùnèì (5 + 4?)	wóì
Ijo, East, Northeastern		ɡbɔ́rí	màmì	tárú	nɛ̃́ĩ́	sɔ́nɔ́	sóníá	sɔ́nɔ́mà	nínì (4+4?)	ísíéní	ójí
Ijo, East, Northeastern, Eastern		ŋ̀ɡɪ̀ɛ́	m̀mɛ̀ɛ́	tɛ́rɛ́	íní	sɔ́nɔ́	sóníɛ́	sɔ́nɔ́mà	ínínè	éséníé	àtìé / ójí
Ijo, East, Northeastern, Eastern		ŋ̀ɡèi	màɪ̃	tɛrɛ	ineĩ	sɔnɔ	sonio	sɔnɔmɛ̀	ninè	esenie	oji, àtèi
Ijo, West Ijo	Izon (Ijaw/Ijo) (1)	kẹnị́	mamụ́	tǎrụ	nóín	sọ́nrọ́n =sɔ̃́rɔ̃́ ?	sǒndie	sọ́nọ́ma	nínɡíni	isé	óí
Ijo, West Ijo	Izon (Ijaw/Ijo) (2)	kẹnị́	mamụ́	tǎrụ	nóín	sọ́nrọ́n =sɔ̃́rɔ̃́ ?	sǒndie	sọ́nọ́ma	nínɡíni	isé	óí
Ijo, West Ijo	Izon (Ijaw/Ijo) (3)	kẹnị́	maamụ́	tǎarụ	nóín	sọ́nrọ́n =sɔ̃́rɔ̃́ ?	sǒndie	sọ́nọ́ma	níníni or nínɡíni	isé	oyi/ óí
Ijo, West, Inland Ijo		kɛ̀nɪ	maamʊ	taarʊ	nii	sɔ̃ɔ̃rɔ̃	sɔ̃zie / sɔ̃zɪ	sɔnɔmà	màà fùi	sioni, eji karama (10 - 1)	eji

Bibliography

• Jenewari, Charles E. W. (1989) 'Ijoid'. In Bendor-Samuel, John and Hartell, Rhonda L. (eds.), The Niger–Congo languages: A classification and description of Africa's largest language family, 105-118. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
• Williamson, Kay. 1969. 'Igbo' and 'Ịjọ', chapters 7 and 8 in: Twelve Nigerian Languages, ed. by E. Dunstan. Longmans.
• Williamson, Kay. 1971. The Benue–Congo languages and Ịjọ. In: Current Trends in Linguistics, Vol. 7, series ed. by T. A. Sebeok, 245-306.
• Williamson, Kay. 1988. Linguistic evidence for the prehistory of the Niger Delta. In: The Prehistory of the Niger Delta, ed. by E.J. Alagoa and others. Hamburg: Helmut Buske Verlag.
• Williamson, Kay. 1998. Defaka revisited. The multi-disciplinary approach to African history, edited by Nkparom C. Ejituwu, Chapter 9, 151-183. Port Harcourt: University of Port Harcourt Press.
• Williamson, Kay. 2004. The language situation in the Niger Delta. Chapter 2 in: The development of Ịzọn language, edited by Martha L. Akpana, 9-13.
• Williamson, Kay & Blench, Roger (2000) 'Niger–Congo', in Heine, Bernd and Nurse, Derek (eds) African Languages: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University press, pp. 11–42.

External links

• Ijoid materials (Roger Blench)

Notes and References

1. Roger Blench, Niger-Congo: an alternative view
2. Book: Dimmendaal, Gerrit Jan. Historical Linguistics and the Comparative Study of African Languages. 2011-01-01. John Benjamins Publishing. 978-9027211781. en.
3. News: Joseph Greenberg and the Current State of Niger-Congo. Babaev. Kirill.
4. Blench, Roger M. and Kay Williamson. 2007. Comparative Ijoid Word List. Unpublished Manuscript.
5. Jenewari, Charles E. W. 1983. Defaka: Ijo's closest relative. (Delta Series, 2.) University of Port Harcourt Press.
6. Web site: The Niger-Congo Language Phylum. Chan. Eugene. Numeral Systems of the World's Languages. 2019.